I was shifting government documents in the “I” section today (Department of Interior). There are all kinds of documents in this section, from Indian affairs, to earthquake information, to geological information, to state park information, to water info, etc, etc. As I was moving these things, one of them caught my eye. There was a one-page pamphlet, published in the sixties, on the water plan of Dalton Gardens, ID. “Why did this catch your eye”, you ask? Well, because Dalton Gardens, ID. is where my grandparents lived in this house.
Dalton Gardens is this obscure little town located very near Cour d ‘Alene, Idaho. I don’t even think you can call it a town, really. It is (or was when I lived in Spokane), a bunch of houses clustered around the high school. There is a butcher shop, and I think there is now a mall.
I have very fond memories of my grandparent’s house. They had a small farm and every once in a while they would have an animal or two, such as sheep or chickens, and then the animal would be gone after a time. My brother and I loved the two sheep that they had for a while. We were kind of devastated when they were suddenly gone and my grandparents had “lovely” back rests on their recliners.
That memory really isn’t horrifying, as it may seem. My grandparents came from a different time, where animals were meant for food, not for making friends with. Mostly, when I think of this house and Dalton Gardens itself, I think of happy, carefree times.
Who knew that a library in Santa Clara would be receiving some document on the water plan of this town, and that, thirty years later, someone who has fond memories of this obscure little town would look at this and be reminded of her grandparents. I’m probably the only person who has even looked at this piece of paper since it was checked in.
Blatherskite 